Engineering Leadership in 2025: AI, Burnout, and the Motivation Crisis
What 617 leaders said about the real state of engineering teams this year
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60% of engineering leaders say AI hasn’t significantly boosted team productivity.
That’s not the headline we expected in 2025. But it’s the reality shared by 617 engineering leaders surveyed by LeadDev in their latest Engineering Leadership Report.
The report has a ton of insights and also a mirror reflecting the tensions, pressures, and paradoxes engineering leaders are living through right now.
Some quick stats that stood out:
65% are worried about a recession.
53% believe there are fewer jobs available (up from 48% in 2024).
40% say their teams are less motivated than they were 12 months ago.
In this post, I share the most import…